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I just opened my DnD5E Dungneon Master’s Screen, and I am delighted.
This is by far the closest a preprinted GM screen can come to perfect.
The perfect GM screen would include information about the PCs, like weaknesses or disadvantages, but that’s impossible for a preprinted screen, of course.
Why is it so good? Here’s why:
Random NPC Tables
The left-most panel of the DM side of the screen contains about the most useful information a GM can have at-a-glance. It features five random tables for fleshing out NPCs.
Your players meet a shopkeeper and they start up conversation with a poor bloke who doesn’t even have a name. No problem. These five table will give you a fleshed out PC with a few dice rolls.
These tables give you a randomized version of the PC background … Read entire article »

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Since August, the internet has been in an uproar about the #gamergate controversy. It seems that everyone has a different opinion about the point of the movement and its impact on the industry. Regardless of what the parties involved intend, and the horrible behavior of jerks abusing the anonymity provided by the internet, there are two main issues that should be pulled from this clusterfuck and more closely examined.
1. Ethics in Journalism
Regardless of your feelings about the #gamergate movement, this is an important issue that shouldn’t be ignored. When I was a teacher, I always warned my students about the information available on the internet. The internet gives us incredible freedom to express ourselves and share our opinions, however there are no controls in place to vet websites, online authors, … Read entire article »

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Here I am at home, recovering from another trip to the Best Four Days in Gaming. That’s right, I was able to attend my fourth GenCon in Indianapolis this year. It was an amazing experience to say the least, and probably my favorite con attendance ever to say the most. Let me tell you a little bit about why, and maybe I can make you even more jealous than you already are.
First off, as I said, this is my fourth time attending this amazing gaming Mecca. My first year happened in 2010 when I was unemployed and had spent lots of my time helping a local game store owner open his first shop. As a thank you, he gave me a badge to the con … Read entire article »

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Announcing the 2014 RPG Podcasters Peer Awards
The RPG Podcasters Community would like to recognize the following RPG podcasts for excellence in entertainment, content and production quality for the year 2014.
For Best New Podcast for 2014: Numenera: The Signal – http://numenerathesignal.blogspot.com/
For Best Actual Play Podcast for 2014: RPPR Actual Play -http://actualplay.roleplayingpublicradio.com/
For Best Industry News Podcast for 2014: All Games Considered -http://www.agcpodcast.info/
For Best Podcast of 2014: Fear the Boot – http://www.feartheboot.com/ftb/
The RPG Podcasters Community on Google+ is open to all producers and hosts of podcasts covering the tabletop RPG hobby. This community established the RPG Podcasters Peer Awards this year to recognize the best shows, whether members of the community or not, based on the opinions of people who are familiar with the production process of such podcasts.
All nominations and awards were determined by vote among the … Read entire article »

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This time we’re going to be talking to TPK Games about their new Kickstarter for Laying Waste: A Guide to Critical Combat. We’ll also be discussing their last Kickstarter, The Bleeding Hollow. and a few other topics.
Tell me about the idea behind the Kickstarter for Laying Waste: A Guide to Critical Combat.
Sure. The main concept is that the critical hit rules as written for the d20 system are old and outdated. They exist only to give a very quick resolution to a better attack roll and do not give any real flavor at all. They can easily be manipulated, and you can create damage dealing characters that deal over 100 points of damage in a single attack. This sort of game play actually detracts from the … Read entire article »